Author Archive for Britt Raubenheimer

Hugger and I are back in NC, in the field, doing about 9 different pilot studies. Every time I do something new, I learn what I can help with, and what I should let someone else do. Similarly, there are some jobs Hugger helps with, and some times she stays in the office (which is not her cup of tea).

In collaboration with our colleague, YT Lin, we deployed a 16” diameter PVC casing for an acoustic source. The lower 1-2m of the casing needed to be under the watertable, and needed to be 50% holes to allow sound transmission. We learned:

Best to have Bill and Levi drill out the holes in a nice uniform pattern!

I relied on Hugger to get me to and from the deployment site, past the trucks and excavators.

Best to have the “boys” put the casing in the hole (I wasn’t getting anywhere near that pit!)

But important to be on site to discuss whether the hole was deep enough – it isn’t easy to dig beneath the water, and required more work than the construction crew expected. Hugger enjoyed the show.

And useful to dictate notes on my phone and provide information about the depths of our groundwater wells as YT and Bill recorded the sounds across the island. YT learned that he can hear the noise transmitted from the source thru the groundwater up to several hundred meters away, which means we can use acoustics to map out the sediment structures under the island.

We deployed some current meters and pressure gages in 2-3 m water depth offshore of the beach, as ground-truth for remotely sensed measurements and for offshore wave and flow conditions during storms. Bill and I rode out of the CRAB with scuba gear, and Levi and Steve lowered and raised pipes and equipment from the “crow’s nest” platform. Bill says the visibility was 0.0 ft at some sites, and maybe up to 6” at others – I have extra practice at working without seeing, so my vision is not an issue in the surf. Hugger stayed home, but was very excited when we returned!

And we collected measurements of dune erosion, shoreline water levels, waves, and groundwater during hurricane Matthew. Hugger helped me get to and from the shore-based instrumentation during deployment, sensor programming, and recovery. I left her in the office when we walked out onto the pier at the peak of the storm to repair the lidar used to measure the dune erosion. The pier wind gage measured a peak gust at 91 mph, and sustained winds were over 63 mph – I was worried that Hugger would get blown over.

Unfortunately, since Matthew, we haven’t been able to walk to work, owing to the flooding. One of the “puddles” between our house and the office was more than 2 ft deep, and Hugger never learned to guide while swimming. But we’ll be walking again soon!

Hugger and me in front of the Army Corps’ Larc, which is outfitted with radar, GPS, sonars, and other equipment. The Larc is used often to deploy instruments, and to survey sand levels along the coast. We walk past the Larc high-bay and washing area to get from our equipment van to our office and the dive locker – Hugger makes sure I don’t get in the way, or under the wheels!

There are many things that Hugger does that help me do my job. She may not (yet) be able to write computer code, deploy instruments in the ocean, or give a science presentation, but I’d struggle to get to the office, or to the field site, or to the meeting without her.

For example, Hugger has been guiding me around the Army Corps Field Research Facility, avoiding all the equipment and vehicles that get moved around. Without Hugger, I’d be a hazard that others would need to watch out for.

We can walk from our house to the field site along the Duck, NC boardwalk, which zigs and zags thru the marshes and along the shops. There are joggers and walkers and shoppers everywhere. Without Hugger I would want someone to drive me.

Yesterday, after I finished a phone-meeting with colleagues, Hugger guided me from our office to our beach sampling site to join the crew, which enabled everyone to keep working rather than sending someone to pick me up.

A beautiful full moon setting in the west, behind the Army Corps’ boat, used to maintain instruments in the sound, and the Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy (CRAB), which we use often to deploy instruments in the ocean surf zone. The CRAB motor is on the upper platform, which is 25 feet above the ground, enabling it to drive out to 24 feet water depth, and giving us a stable platform even in large breaking waves (where a small boat is unsafe).

I doubt I’d be able to hire a human sighted guide and driver for 3 cups of kibble and some hugs and pats each day! And my husband might get jealous, smile. Of course, Hugger does have lifetime health care, and free room and board, which might attract some applicants.

I also was asked “why do most of the photos show Hugger without a harness?” Hugger allows me to be independent, so we’re often on our own when she’s working – there’s nobody to take a photo. When we meet up with our field group, she gets to rest, play, and pose for photos!

I could change the way I do my work by sending others to the field without me, or not traveling to as many conferences or meetings. But one of the things I love about my career is the variety. And going to the beach! Hugger makes both possible.

We’re in North Carolina working on groundwater wells in the middle of a heat wave. Not what she expected when she started guide dog school!

There are pricker bushes and small cactus around, so everyone, including Hugger, must wear shoes at some of the sites. Hugger collapses like a camel, folding her front legs under her, when she gets to her bed, and grimaces when I make her start working (and walking) again!

Its hot! The heat index was 116 this afternoon. So we’ve been getting up between 4:30 and 5:00am and start work early, while its still somewhat cool.

She’s certainly experiencing a wider range of environments than she expected. But, she always has a nice bed and good friends to hang with.

Hugger gets the passenger seat, with me kneeling at her feet, in the “Gator,” our work vehicle for transporting gear around the site, to the wells, and onto the beach.

On Sunday, we arrived in Duck, NC for a field study. We had a day to settle in, set up computers, and take Hugger to the beach. Then it was time to start unpacking gear.

First the shipping container, or c-van. I worked Hugger over, with directions from Steve, and clicker trained her for “VAN.” Yum, happy dog. And happy to lay quietly in the shade as we unloaded dive tanks, pipes, dive weights, dive bags, anchors, and tool boxes in the heat and humidity. Phew, Hugger was panting lightly. I looked like I had just taken a shower.

Then a Gator-ride to the dive locker. The front seat is the safest place in the rusty vehicle, so Hugger got a seat of honor, and a nice breeze. Followed by more clicker training for “LOCKER.” Field work is fun, smile.

Hugger and me enjoying the cool breeze on the FRF pier, with JP student Suzi Clark (left) and Res. Assoc. III Paul Henderson (right). Its 95F, but the ocean, which is only 63F is wonderful.

We unloaded, and then worked back to the VAN (while Steve drove the Gator), and Hugger went right to the door. Loaded up more gear and worked back to the LOCKER. Back for another load to VAN. And back to LOCKER. Ok, Hugger has this pattern down, but wow its hot. When we finally decided to quit, I didn’t have to train her for “OFFICE” – that’s the place with the air conditioning, and she had no difficulty finding it!

The next day I clicker-taught Hugger the conference room, which has a blue door and therefore was named “BLUE.” There’s a large ice-maker just inside the door, so Hugger not only got clicker treats, but also ice cubes. She isn’t going to forget where BLUE is located! At least not during summer!

After finishing we went back to “VAN” to grab some gear, and then to “LOCKER” to drop it off and unpack my dive gear. Hugger didn’t hesitate.

She acclimated quickly to her new places, at home and in the office. She seems thrilled to explore, and my staff and students were thrilled to give us new destinations to find in Falmouth, such as the french bakery and Coffee Obsession …. (of course, I had to return with treats as evidence of our success, smile).

We received a demonstration of a fancy infrared camera that a colleague might use to observe surfzone eddies this fall. Not sure yet whether it will work for our science needs, but Hugger is a hot dog!

She had a play date with a friend’s pup, who taught Hugger how to play keep away. But after we threw a 2nd ball onto the courts, Hugger taught Sandy to play fetch!

I clicker-trained Hugger to find the garbage can near the picnic table where we eat lunch. She found the trash quickly the next day. Then we left for a week of travel to the west coast …

She got antsy after an hour in the plane – she had flown once before, and knew it was an hour-long event! But she settled down when she figured out that some flights were longer than Newark-to-Boston. We got to know all of terminal 2 in Salt Lake City, searching for the dog relief area, which had been moved owing to construction. And wow was she zipping thru the crowds. NYC was nothing compared with concourse B! After a little bone-chewing and fetch in our hotel room, she slept quietly next to the bed. On the return flight, she remembered where to go for the SLC relief area (Gate B13), and had figured out the plane routine (curl up and enjoy the sleep time), or maybe she was just jet-lagged.

A proud Hugger after finding the garbage can (Photo by Steve Elgar)

And … when we returned to WHOI today, a week after clicker-training, Hugger found the trash can without any hesitation. I have to start training her to find empty seats, and to generalize to other trash cans. We have a week to work on these goals at WHOI, then off to North Carolina for field work.

Hugger in the WHOOSH Trolley, which is a bus, made to mimic an old-fashioned trolley by removing the shocks, including wooden seats, and adding some grinding clanking noises. None of that seemed to faze Miss Hugger.

Hugger took me to work on Sunday.

As expected, she happily trotted to the bus stop (which is near the squeaky-duck store and vet-office treats). The Sealine bus took us to Falmouth, where we connected to the WHOOSH Trolley to Woods Hole. Hugger already seems to think this commute is boring. I agree.

But, her excitement returned in Woods Hole. Trucks unloading, tourists stopping to look at the drawbridge, dogs, crowded sidewalks, the Sunday market … Hugger likes a challenge and activity, and decided Woods Hole was the cat’s meow, or the bee’s knees, or maybe more appropriately she just thought “hot diggity dog!” as she wound her way through the obstacles to our office.

Of course, the thrill of the office wore off quickly, smile. But we went outside for lunch, and checked out the ducks and rabbits who live by the picnic tables. We made a trip to explore the docks. We went to Coffee O, where we met an interesting MBL scientist and had a great conversation during which Hugger was very well behaved. And we played a little “hall-ball” – it was 5pm on a Sunday, nobody was here, and long hallways are perfect for playing fetch, smile.

Hugger curled up at my feet in the airplane. Her harness is stored next to the window, for easy access in case of emergency. Service dogs are allowed on the floor in front of any seat except the emergency rows. In contrast to carry-ons, which must fit under the seat, its assumed that Hugger will move and be useful if I need assistance, so I don’t need to call on the flight attendants.

Hugger on our back porch, getting acclimated to her new home.

Hugger’s first airplane ride went smoothly. Victoria (one of our instructors) took us to the airport, and came with us thru security. Hugger’s harness handle is metal, so she alarms. I have Hugger sit, I walk through the metal detector, then have Hugger come through. Hugger is one passenger who loves her pat down. She thinks TSA stands for TonS of Attention.

After ensuring her floorspace was clean, Hugger curled up in a corner of the bulkhead floor, and went to sleep. She slid around a bit when we accelerated for take-off, but seemed satisfied with her new position, and didn’t get up. A yawn or two on descent must have cleared her ears, or maybe she was tired from all that napping.

At home, she sniffed the house thoroughly, until she knew every cranny. Then we went for a walk to our bus stop, which is near the Waquoit Feed Store (which sells dog toys) – any trip that includes squeaky ducks is good. I know Hugger will be excited to bring me to the bus any time! And we need to go back soon because squeaky duck already is missing some feet and feathers.

Classmates Preston and Rebecca with their new dogs, and myself and Hugger (right) in front of a commander’s cabin at Jockey Hollow State Park.

The last week at school was busy, with a lot of “country” work, and some indoors training.

Our intrepid instructors, Victoria and Jim

Hugger has proven to be as amenable to country roads and hiking trails as to the city. We cruised along suburban roads with curbs but no sidewalks and rural roads without any shoulder (she’s trained to stay to the edge of the road). We went for a hike in Jockey Hollow State Park, and, to add a little history to our schooling, we visited some of the replicas of huts Washington’s army used during the Revolution.

I’ll need to walk along similar roads to get the bus to work, so this has been perfect practice.

Myself and Hugger on the leisure path at the Seeing Eye (photo by Craig Garretson, Manager of Communications)

We also checked out several coffee shops (one of my top priorities, smile), grocery stores, revolving doors (not easy with a dog next to you! Hugger goes on the outside), cafes, and department stores. And ice cream shops (yum) – I’ll need to continue lots of walking at home to work off the extra pounds.

The work in restaurants and shops will help when traveling, since Hugger will know what to expect when we get inside, and how to get seated under or next to a chair. And I’ll have practice making sure she doesn’t try to clean the floor.

We also went to the courthouse and practiced going thru the metal detector. Important training for airports … and, if I ever do end up in the penitentiary (where Hugger already has experience), we’ll know how to start that journey.

Hugger in the gazebo along the nature path, waiting patiently while I use my bird song app to try to identify the NJ bird that’s been taunting me with an unknown song.

Yesterday Hugger and I went to NYC. It was packed, partly owing to the protests that were occurring near the Port Authority, where we parked. As usual, Hugger zipped through the crowds, weaving right, then left to get around a group, seeing free space and surging forward to take the lead, but always stopping at the down curb to wait for my signal to cross. She seems to thrive on being busy.

Three photos of Hugger playing fetch with her kong in the free run area. She has learned not only to bring it back, but to put the kong in my hand, or touching my feet. Hugger moves fast! I took about 100 photos to get a few with her in them – one of the instructors helped me throw out the photos with only artificial grass, tails, ears, or walls.

At AGU this fall, even with 20,000 people exiting meetings at the same time, we will have no problems finding seats for lunch. Hugger will make sure we’re at the front of the line.

She also was calm as could be on the subway. The crowds were thinner here, but its loud underground, and I always get a bit nervous trying to hear what’s going on around me. It’ll be great to have Hugger there to keep me settled, though I think its usually supposed to work the other way around.

I’m excited to see how she does in the lower key “country” environment. She doesn’t get distracted by dogs, and completely ignored the horse-drawn carriages in the city, so I expect she’ll do great. Also, I received her “puppy report” this afternoon, and it sounds like her puppy raiser exposed her to every environment, including cities, buses, trains, subways, museums, hospitals, plays, sports games, music events, and rural areas (also including the penitentiary – I hope I don’t have to rely on that experience, smile).

Today is a day off, which we started by enjoying the leisure path (and stopping to try to identify the bird songs), and playing with her kong in the free run. A good start to a relaxing day (despite the 5:30am wake-up call, smile).

Its been a busy week. Wednesday morning we solo’d our second route, including staged dog distractions, finding our way around barricades across the sidewalk (so its necessary to walk along the street for a section), and avoid “traffic checks.”

Its sorta sick, but I actually enjoy traffic checks with Hugger. A driver from The Seeing Eye purposely tries to cut us off, either by making a turn into a street we’re crossing or pulling into a driveway as we come by. Hugger slams on the brakes to avoid the madman and his car. This behavior is called “intelligent disobedience”, in which she is taught to ignore my “forward” command if she doesn’t think its safe, and she’s a star at it, smile. Falmouth attracts crazy drivers during the summer, so we’ll get lots of practice when we get home.

Its been 95F the past few days, so Wednesday afternoon was light work finding our way around an air conditioned grocery store (and drinking cappuccinos), making sure the dogs behaved when surrounded by wonderful smells at the meat counter and pet aisle. And we had our usual afternoon and evening lectures, this time about dog health, teeth care, and feeding. But we wouldn’t want Hugger and myself to get lazy, so we got to go for a night walk too.

At 9pm, after it was dark, we headed back to Morristown. The village center is hopping in the evening. Crowded outdoor cafes, live music, tons of people strolling the sidewalk. The dogs don’t behave much differently at night – like cats, they have a lens that helps concentrate light (yes, I learned that in a lecture, smile), so their eyesight is honed for dawn and dusk. And they don’t have the same difficulty as we do adjusting to bright headlights followed by dark either. But the experience walking thru the crowds was perfect practice for Woods Hole in the summer. Hugger is more patient than Whit was, and didn’t nose her way through the slow pokes. Instead she plodded patiently until she saw a gap, then zoom, we were through, with our instructor making a mad dash to catch up.

Yesterday included a bus trip and a train ride (the dogs are taught to “intelligently” disobey if we ask them to walk across the train tracks or off the platform), a visit to the Morris Frank statue (the gentleman who brought guide dogs to the US and started The Seeing Eye, and unlike Whit, Hugger behaved like a lady and did not bite the metal guide dog’s tail), a trip through a department stores with escalators and glass elevators (they no longer teach commands for “upstairs”, “downstairs”, “up-escalator”, and “down-escalator”, I need to ask why), and access to the fenced play area (yay!).

They call this time “freelancing” as we practice going to areas where we’ll be working the dogs in “real life.” When it cools off, we’ll go to country roads (without sidewalks, like my neighborhood, and many of the roads around Woods Hole), NYC (great practice for AGU in San Francisco), and maybe Jockey Hollow State Park (I’ll see whether she indicates trees roots and other foot-catchers, which will be helpful when walking thru Beebe Woods). Unfortunately the beach is far away, so I’ll see how Hugger feels about the ocean in August. We’ll also practice more clicker training so I’ll be ready when we get to a big meeting (or need to find those trash cans!).